Disclaimer: I dont own Harry Potter or his friends so back off.

another day, another chapter

I woke up from my sleep to the sound of that voice
From the words that I heard I had no choice
They told me I had to turn around
My assurance slowly faded down
And I wonder

Will I ever make it home
Will I ever leave the ground
Leave this place so far behind

The plans that I had were quickly destroyed
The problem was one I couldn't avoid
They welcomed me to stay overnight
I'm too tired to complain so I just might
And I wonder

Will I ever make it home
To the place I recognize
Far from here and where I've been
And all the places that I've been shown
Will I ever make it home
Can they keep me here for good
Where I hardly know a soul
And my fear keeps going on

"Will I Ever Make it Home" –Hill Ingram

The Perfect Life

Chapter 3 – Old faces, new friends

Draco walked up the street and stopped in front of an elegant mansion. Hesitantly, he glanced at the piece of parchment Kaitlyn handed him earlier.

75 Owl's Drive Parkway.

'This must be it.'

Blaise had been Draco's best friend all throughout his years of Hogwarts. He was the one Draco would share stories with of all the girls he's scored with, and also his partner in making all the Gryffindors' lives miserable. So normally, it would only seem natural that Blaise be the first person Draco would go to for assistance, especially in a situation as unique as his. After all they've been through together, why wouldn't he help?

Draco groaned inwardly before knocking on the heavy wooden door painted in a blinding hot pink color. As he waited for someone to answer, he surveyed the front yard and the mansion in front of him. It was elegant, indeed, but only to a certain degree. The lawn ornaments, the sky-blue window shutters, and the fuchsia and neon-green baseboards were simply atrocious. 'What in hell was Zabini thinking when he bought this place?'

The door then opened and he was greeted with a house elf.

"I'm looking for Blaise Zabini," Draco said with a sense of authority and demand in his voice; just enough to make the poor elf shake in his tattered rags.

"I's sorry sir," the elf replied, cowering slightly. "But master has left for remainders of the day." Draco stared at the elf, obviously frustrated by this news.

"Hati!" a shrill voice shrieked from inside. "Where is my tea, you no good, imbecile of an elf!" A tall slim woman appeared at the door, her thin wispy brown hair barely passing chin length. Her face seemed pug and disproportional to the rest of her body. She stood with superiority in her green silk robes; an obvious quality that she's from a rich bloodline. In fact, her body language almost reminded Draco of his own mother and how she always looked down her nose at everyone else. The cold stare she had in her eyes, which were meant for the house elf, now melted away like winter's snow when her sights landed on Draco. She looked like a lioness who just found her prey.

"Why, I had no idea we were having guests over today," she said in her flaky saccharine voice as she endlessly batted her eyelashes at him. "Please, won't you come in?" She kicked the house elf aside as to usher him in.

Draco looked at her with disgust. "Uh—no it's alright. I just needed to see Blaise Zabini."

The woman snorted. "Oh. Well that bloody wanker's not home." Then added quietly to herself, "thank god." He was about to walk away when she gripped his elbow. "What do you want with him?"

"I needed his…help on, uh, something ," he responded, trying to be as discreet as possible.

The woman began to smirk seductively at him. "Perhaps I can help you."

That seductive smirk, as nauseating as it was, looked familiar. Brutally familiar. "I'm sorry, but have we…" Another person with the same exact features entered his memory. "Pansy? Pansy Parkinson?" Never in his life had he hoped it would be her, yet at the same time hoping it wasn't.

She scoffed irefully and held up her hand to reveal her wedding ring. "It's Pansy Zabini now." Draco raised his eyebrows in surprise. That was unexpected.

"That's—um—congratulations." What he meant to say though was, 'Thank Merlin it was Blaise and not me'.

Pansy, however, did not catch on to the relief in his voice but instead muttered, "Please! I wish I'd never even agreed to marry that bastard husband of mine. He's probably off shagging his coworker's wife right now." Draco was disappointed Blaise wasn't home but not so much seeing as maybe Pansy could indeed be of some assistance. After all, she was the last person he was with the night before. She was practically in the same situation as him.

"You don't recognize me, do you?"

Pansy kept that repulsive smirk of hers on her lips. "Draco Malfoy." He nodded slowly. "How could I not recognize you? You look just like Lucius did, you know."

Draco felt bothered. As powerful and as influential Lucius was, he hated him. Lucius was a terrible father, simple as that. Draco subconsciously lifted a hand to his now short hair. 'So that's why I had my hair cut.' Her words then rung in his ears. Did?

"You mean 'does'."

She shook her head blatantly. "No I meant 'did'. As in he did but not anymore since he's dead."

Unable to control himself, Draco's eyes widened and he gasped. "Dead? When, how…?"

"Hm…a while ago. Four, maybe five years." She narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously. "Geez, Draco. I thought you were the first to know." She paused, drumming her wrinkled fingers over her chin. "If I remember correctly, weren't you there when he was killed?"

Draco was thunderstruck. He had been there during Lucius' death? Of course it didn't ring any bells; he was 8 years behind on everything. 'Oh, marvelous. I suppose this means I can't go running to father for help either. I'll be stuck like this forever!'

"Right. 'Course I remember. I was there after all," he lied to keep her from probing any further questions. "Say, do you remember anything that happened last night?" he asked hopefully.

"Yes. My parents had a dinner party, why?"

Draco frowned in annoyance. "No. I meant when we were in the Slytherin dormitory." When she made no effort of the slightest response, he elaborated. "We slept together." At this, Pansy cocked an eyebrow and grinned playfully.

"Having erotic fantasies about me Drakie? I knew you couldn't resist my charm."

"Oh shut up!" He scratched his head, trying to rack his brain of possible answers as to how he could've traveled, alone, ahead of time. "I mean, the night I was referring to…it was the weekend we went to Hogsmeade. The first weekend after Holiday break…er—back in 7th year." His hollow steel eyes looked up at her urgently, as if forcing her to remember.

"How could I forget? It was the last time we were…" she stopped briefly to lick her thin lips. "intimate." Draco had to turn away just to keep his breakfast down.

"Whatever…do you recall there being a, um, portkey or some other..?" It had to be a portkey, right? What else could it be?

She sighed heavily and folded her arms. "Look, all I remember was when I woke up you were gone."

"What?"

"You were gone. You disappeared. And you refused to talk to me since." He shifted uncertainly on the porch, in the middle of an internal battle taking place in his mind. "Hey," Pansy interrupted his thoughts. "Since you're here now, we could…" She stepped closer to him and began running her fingers across his chest down onto his flat stomach. He brushed her hand off and backed away.

"No thanks. I'm—uh—married." Never did he think he would actually get a chance to use that line to get away from Pansy and really mean it. He silently laughed to himself in his head.

"Oh that's right. The new virtuous Draco wouldn't dare cheat on his saint mudblood of a wife," she replied coolly, pretending to act unaffected by his refusal. "Humph! Your loss." With a flip of her hair, she retreated back to the house and slammed the door behind her.

'Great. Now what?' Draco apparated to Diagon alley and found himself wandering down its streets wandless and shirtless. Though it was slightly windy, he felt barer without his wand. 'I don't even know where I bloody live.' Diagon alley was as much the same as it ever was the last time he saw it. He noticed people smiling at him as if he was supposed to know them. In an attempt not to draw attention upon himself, he just formally nodded in their direction and continued on his way.

"Ai, Draco!" He turned around at the sound of his name being called and groaned irritably upon seeing Potter bouncing towards him. 'Why me?' "Hey what're you still doing here? The party's starting in half an hour."

"Party?"

"Yea. For Ron's twins, Jeanette and Jemma. I'm just buying their present. C'mon." Harry pulled Draco along with him, much to his displeasure, but followed anyhow. "Uh…we'll get you a shirt too." After Harry had purchased the gifts and Draco had a shirt, Harry placed a hand on Draco's shoulder and together they apparated to the Burrow.

"Harry! Draco! Nice to see you again dears," Mrs. Weasley greeted them by the front door and welcomed them inside. Draco was reluctant to move further into this hideous house and just stayed put, staring at Mrs. Weasley strangely. "Well, come now Draco. Get inside." She didn't even give him a chance to react as she hurriedly pulled him into the living room.

Draco was appalled to see it filled with 2 dozen or more children running around everywhere like caged animals recently released from the zoo. Though he wasn't all too surprised to find a large majority of them being redheads. 'Damn, these Weasleys multiply like rabbits.' Most of them had small toy brooms and were pretending to be flying. Three identical boys were throwing about what seemed to be a quaffle, out of a smaller boy's reach. Twin girls were holding plastic beater bats, using it to strike a slightly older boy in the head, screaming for his dear life. The scene was chaotic.

"Sometimes feels like Ron's got more than 7 kids, don't it," Harry said shaking his head while he wore that stupid lopsided grin of his. All Draco could do was stand as still as he could, jaw hung open at the little hooligans pounding on each other before him. He couldn't remember a period in his childhood when he behaved this way. A good thing too or Lucius wouldn't have let him see the age of 11.

"Oi! Girls, off of David!" Ron yelled at the twin girls as he entered the room. "Hallo Harry, Malfoy." Ron gave his raven-haired friend a pat on the back and nodded curtly at Draco as he did the same. "There's food in the kitchen if you like." Harry handed his present to Ron and stepped into the kitchen with Draco. As much as he disliked Potter, Draco kept fairly close to him, for protection purposes of course. He felt like these kids could jump him any minute now. If his suspicions were correct and they are Weasleys, surely it's in their genes to hate a Malfoy.

In the kitchen he noticed Hermione already there, holding baby Andy while talking to Ginny, Charlie, and two other women he didn't know.

"Harry! Haven't seen you in a long time," Charlie exclaimed, giving him a hug.

"Hey Draco, you remember Charlie, don't you?" Charlie held out his hand and with obligation, the former slytherin shook it. "Oh and his wife Coleen," Hermione said, pointing to the girl with golden hair. "And that's Monica, George's wife," Ginny added, catching Draco staring at the other woman with jet black hair. (A/N: don't worry about the wives, they're not that important)

"Hello," Draco returned the greeting to the entire kitchen formally. As soon as everyone was talking amid themselves again, long enough to be paying no attention to Draco, he slipped out of the kitchen and into the backyard to get some fresh air where more children were playing. 'Good lord, they're everywhere!' He was glancing nervously around him when he spotted Sean playing cards with his supposed daughter, Rina. Draco felt more at ease approaching them than he did talking to Potter and "gang" probably because he hated the Gryffindor dream team. Though it did make him a tad bit uncomfortable when they talked to him like they knew him. Draco reached the two and cleared his throat.

"Erm—what are you doing?" he asked, hands in his pockets.

"Me and Rina are playing poker, aren't we?" Sean answered and the little girl nodded, her flowing bleach hair moving with her head.

"What's poker?" he inquired curiously.

"It's a muggle card game," Sean said, keeping his eyes on the cards.

'Now I know she can't be mine. A Malfoy, liking muggle games?'

Draco shifted his eyes to Rina. "You like poker?" She nodded again eagerly. "Mm-hmm."

Draco frowned. "Why?"

"Because it involves strategy, bluffing,…" she looked up at him with her big eyes. "…and sometimes a little gambling," she finished with a smile. Draco was surprised. She was about…4 or 5 maybe…and she already liked to gamble. 'Still, it doesn't automatically mean she has half my genes…'

"Besides," she continued, as Sean dealt the deck again. "It beats playing mindless games with uncle Ron's kids." 'Okay…maybe she does.' Draco smirked at her statement. 'Come to think of it, she is rather adorable. I wouldn't be surprised if she really is my daughter.'

"Hey."

Draco turned his head to see George standing beside him. He didn't even hear his footsteps approaching. George gave Sean an odd look. "You're Sean, right? Malfoy's kids' nanny." It seems like all the Weasleys have persisted in calling Draco "Malfoy" even after all the bad blood (no pun intended) had been resolved.

Sean chuckled at his comment. "I suppose that's one way of putting it. I'm their neighbor actually. I just really enjoy being with Mr. M's family which is probably why I'm always at their place." He laughed as Rina slapped her hand down.

"Full house!" she exclaimed excitedly. Draco couldn't help but laugh, hearing Rina's triumphant giggling and looking into her bright eyes having infected him, in a good way.

'So that's who Sean is…just some kid next door.'

"Daddy?"

Draco blinked hard and shook away his thoughts, turning full attention to Rina. "Hm?"

"I said, do you wanna play poker with me?" She stared up at him with a hopeful grin.

"Uh—I'd love to but I don't know how."

She giggled uncontrollably. "I'll teach you." Draco took Sean's seat, situating himself in front of the blonde girl. Sean stood beside George and soon, the two flew off into a conversation. "Okay, daddy. First, you…" Draco intended on listening to her instructions but he couldn't help but overhear his name being mentioned in the middle of George and Sean's discussion. His ears then perked up to catch the men's words.

"So even after Mr. and Mrs. M got married and Harry warmed up to him, Ron still didn't want anything to do with him?" Sean was saying.

"Yup. That's Ron for you. Always has been the stubborn one," George replied, taking a sip of his fruit punch.

"So a flush can beat a straight, like this," Rina continued, pointing at the 5 diamond cards. "Ohh. That-that's great," Draco responded, keeping a sideway glance in George's direction.

"Malfoy's changed a lot since his 7th year." George chuckled quietly. "I think Ron was just jealous though, with Hermione being his ex and all."

"So if he despised him so much, why did he hire Mr. M to work for him?" Sean asked. Draco was practically on edge trying to listen in on his reply while at the same time pretending to be concentrating on the game. 'That's what I'd like to know.'

"Well," George began. "That's because Malfoy sa-"

"Sean, there you are." 'Dammit! Interrupted by Granger.' "It's getting late and Andy's fallen asleep. We should head home." She turned and saw Rina and Draco. "C'mon honey," she said taking hold of Rina's hand. "Sean, could you please get Jon-Jon?"

"Sure Mrs. M."

Finally they arrived home and Sean had gone back to his own house. Draco was too wrapped up in his own thoughts, exhausted from everything that had happened that day. He was running out of ideas of ways to get back to his normal life, away from this alternate universe or wherever it was. 'I've got to get out of this hellhole before I go mad. It's going to be such a drag putting up with these people.' He walked back up to the same bedroom he woke up in that morning and looked through his closet. 'These are definitely my things.' Finding his wand by the nightstand, he picked it up and twirled it between his fingers. When he turned around he saw Hermione already crawling in bed ahead of him.

"What're you doing?" he demanded, forgetting they're supposed to be married.

She glanced around innocently. "Going to bed?" she suggested sarcastically.

Draco began to shift his weight. "I don't think it's a good idea for us to be sharing a bed tonight." 'Or ever,' he thought to himself. Draco was not about to catch himself rubbing thighs with a mudblood, no matter how much prettier she is now; she still has dirty blood. "I-I just don't feel like sharing the bed with someone that's all." Hermione gave him a questioning look. "So if you'll just sleep on the couch…" Her mouth dropped open.

"Hey if you don't wanna sleep beside me tonight, that's fine. But I am not sleeping on the couch. You wanna sleep alone, then you take the couch." She tossed him a pillow from her head. Draco gaped at her in shock.

'How dare she! Me, a Malfoy, sleeping on the couch? It's unheard of.' Suddenly the sound of a baby crying filled the empty hallway.

Hermione sighed. "That must be Andy." She slid off the bed and headed towards the baby's room. Draco was about to slip under the covers when the creaking of the floorboards made him turn around. By the doorway stood Jon-Jon clinging onto a teddy bear.

"Daddy?" he called out softly. It was still hard to process that these kids were referring to him as their father. "Yea?" he answered unsurely. "There's a monster in my room," he said timidly. "Um, hang on. Lemme get your mother." "No!" the toddler wailed. "I want you."

Hesitantly, Draco followed him to his dark room, holding his wand out in front of him. "Okay, where's this monster?" Jon-Jon pointed a shaking finger in the small corner of the room. "Lumos harem." A small light shone from the tip of Draco's wand directing at the empty corner. "There's nothing here, you're just hearing things-"

As he said this, the floorboards creaked again and out of surprise, Draco swooshed his wand in the direction of the noise, causing the closet to be thrown open and clothes flung out. Draco stared at the accident he'd caused. "See?" he said attempting a smile. "I told you there's no monster." Jon-Jon peeped out from under his comforters and giggled. Draco smiled and sat down next to him. "Daddy, will you stay til I fall asleep?" he asked, his eyes pleading. Draco didn't really want to but before his mind could process his words, he blurted out, "Sure." Needless to say, he was surprised by his answer but thought, 'I suppose I can stay for only a couple of minutes. He is just a kid anyway.' Right after the several minutes of sitting by his bed and listening to the boy's rhythmic breathing, Draco looked down and noticed Jon-Jon's small hands wrapped around his own. He smiled at the new warm feeling brewing somewhere deep inside him as he watched his son sleep peacefully, knowing the protection of his father was nearby.

'Maybe this isn't going to be so bad after all.'